250 passengers stuck on plane for 16 hours
Hong Kong-bound flight diverted to Goose Bay due to medical emergency
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, N.L.— An end is finally in sight for passengers who spent 16 gruelling hours on a plane grounded on a tarmac in frigid Happy ValleyGoose Bay, N.L., though a passenger was left frustrated by the experience and wondering why it took so long to get help.
“You’re cold, you’re tired, you’re hungry,” said Sonjay Dutt, a professional wrestler who was travelling to an event in China.
United Flight 179 from Newark, N.J., to Hong Kong was diverted to the Goose Bay Airport Saturday night after a passenger experienced a medical emergency, according to Unit- ed Airlines spokesperson Natalie Noonan. She said passengers weren’t able to get off the plane because there were no border officials working overnight.
She said that after the passenger was removed from the plane and taken to hospital, a mechanical issue with the plane’s door prevented the aircraft from taking off. Noonan believes the door was unable to be shut because it likely froze in the wintry temperatures.
As the hours drew on, Dutt said there was little communication between the airline and the 250 passengers stuck on the plane, which became uncomfortably cold as temperatures outside plunged to nearly -30 C.
In response, Noonan said the company did “everything they could” to make sure the passengers were as comfortable as possible.